Cop tube



June 27, 1933. G* A. ANDERSQN COP TUBE Original Filed Aug. l, 1930 2Sheets-Sheet l June 27, 1933. G. A. ANDERSON 1,916,183

COP TUBE Original Filed Aug. l, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @brug/yPatentedJune 27, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT: OFFICE GUSTAVE ALBERTANDERSON, OF ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO LEVI IS R.

SMITH, RECEIVER' OF APCO MOSSBERG CORPORATION, OF ATT'LEBORO, MASSA-CH'USETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS co1 TUBE Original applicationled August 1, 1930, Serial No. 472,419. Divided and this application ledAugust` 10,

My present invention relates to cop tubes for use in loom shuttles, andis a division of my prior and copending application, Ser. No. 472,419,led August l, 1930.

Many different types of cop tubes are in use at the present time,including wooden tubes, paper or cardboard tubes, seamed metal tubes,cast tubes, and others. All of these present tubes, of which I am aware,have many disadvantages. For example, the wooden tubes are susceptibleto splitting, and to swellingunder steaming. The paper tubes are veryfragile, and are capable of use but avery few number of times,frequently only once; The seamed tubes are weak, are easily bent, andcan not, as a general rule be restored to normal condition. Cast tubesare thick and bulky, and are not desirable for general commercial use.

In present day weaving work electric feeler devices are coming intocommon use, a finger of these devices being located adjacent to the cop,to apprise the operator when a cop is empty, or unwound.

Thus, when these electric feeler devices are utilized the wooden andpaper cop tubes are useless, as the feeler devices can not close acircuit through the same.

An important object of the present invention, therefore, resides in theprovision of a metallic cop tube which will be thin and light, and yetof great strength, being preferably composed of metal of highconductivity. v

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a cop tubewhich ywill be seamless and will,therefore," have no points of inherentweakness.

In carrying out the present invention and as one method of manufacture,I utilize a slug or billet of current conducting metal, preferablyhaving a central bore or aperture therethrough. This billet is placed inan extruding die, and the extruding punch will force the metal of thebillet out of the die away from the punch. The dieing operation iscontinued until the major portion of the billet has been extruded,suiiicient maa head on the extruded cop tube. The deing Serial No.556,181.

operation results in strengthening the metal,

due to the working thereof while cold, by

tacts with a spring-pressedplunger, depressing the same, so that uponremoval of the punch from.' the die said spring-pressed plunger willeject the extruded headed cop tube upwardly through the die. Theextruded tube, at this stage of manufacture, is cylindrical in contour,and for many types of cop tubes it is desirable that the same shall betapered or reduced in diameter from the head portion to the open end.

'As the next step in said process, therefore, when desirab-le, I subject'the extruded cop tube to a swaging operation, which will result intapering the cop tube about an arbor, while simultaneously lengtheningthe said cop tube. I may alsoprovide the cop tube, whether swaged orcylindrical, with a plurality of concentric or parallelly arrangedgrooves to assistiin holding the thread wound on the cop tube.

The head which is formed on the cop tube is adapted to be confined inthe shuttle by the usual fingers to prevent longitudinal displacement ofthe cop tube in the shuttle. The headed end of the cop tube is the endwhich is most subjected to wear and distortion, and it is, therefore,highly desirable to have this headed end reenforced in order towithstandsuch wear and distortion.

y As a further `step lin said method l may Vprovide the cop tube asabove described with ay tubular Asleeve member pressed into the headedend of the cop tube, said pressed member also having a head which ispreferably spaced from the head on the cop tube to provide an annulargroove between the two heads, within which. groove the shuttle fingersabove referred to will seat.

I may also desire to provide a collar or ferrule within said annulargroove, of harder material than the material of the'cop tube itself, inorder to prevent damageto the cop tube by the shuttle fingers during thereciprocation of the shuttle and the blows and shocks to which the sameis subjected. Y

Other features lof the invention reside in the particular constructionand arrangementof parts of the cop tubes, and the above and otherfeatures of the invention, details of construction, and advantages, willbe hereinafter more fully pointed out as the description of theinvention progresses.

Referring to the drawings, illustrating preferred embodiments of thepresent invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the billet or slug utilized;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional fragmentary view of the slug in an eXtrudingdie preparatory to the extruding operation;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional view illustrating the completionof the extruding operation; n y V Fig. 4 is a side elevation of theextruded cop tube;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the swagingoperationbeing performed in a conventional swaging machine;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the swaged and lengthened cop tube;

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the swaged tube with theconcentricgrooves formed therein;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation, -part-- ly in section,illustrating a modified type of head Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectionalview of a cop tube with a4 separate headed member pressed therein; f

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to Fig. 9, but with theaddition of the reenforcing and strengthening collar or ferrule Fig. 11is a longitudinal sectional view of a modified form ofcop tube;

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of a still furthermodification; and

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, illustratinga modified type of reenforcedv head. f

Referring now to the drawings for a particular description of theinvention, and the method of carrying'out the same; 1 designates abillet or slug of suitable currentconducting metal, such as aluminum,having a central bore or aperture 2 therethrough. This slug is placed inan extruding die 3 having shoulders 4 on which the slug rests, the bore5 of the die being ofa greater diameter than the punch 10, thisdifference in diameter representing the thickness of the extruded tube.

Fixed tothe underside of the die 3 is a cylindrical housing 6, Vwithinwhich is slidably mounted a plunger 7 having a head 8 normally heldagainst the bottom of the die 3 by a coiled spring 9. A punch 10 isforced downwardly by any suitable power means, the punch 10 entering thebore 2 of the slug 1 and being of substantially the same diameter assaid bore. The body 11 of the punch 10 is of substantially the sameldiameter as the `bore 12 of the die 3 in which the slug 1 ispositioned. Pressure on the punch 10 will, therefore, result in anextrusion of the metal of the slug 1 downwardly through the bore 5, andhence away from the punch 10, resultying in the production of a tubularcylinder 13. As the tube 13 is extruded it will depress the plunger 7against the tension of the spring 9 and the dieing operation iscontinued until only sufiicient metal is left in the bore 12 to form ahead 14 on the tube 13. Thereupon the punch 10 is retracted, and thepressure of the coiled spring 9 will then force the tube 13 upwardly,ejecting it from the die 3. The cop tube as thus formed is clearlyillustrated in Fig. 4, and it may now be desirable to subject the tube13 to a swaging operation to taper the same. This may be accomplished inconventional swaging machine, wherein the tube 13 is placed on an arbor15 in a swaging head 16. Rotation of the shaft 17 will cause repeatedimpacts of the hammers 18' aga-inst the tube 13, and will coliform saidtube to the shape of the arbor 15, resulting not only in tapering thetube 13, but in lengthening the same, as lclearly illustrated in Fig. 5.The tube 13 is then preferably provided with a plurality of concentricor parallelly arranged grooves 19 to assist in holding the thread woundthereon.

The tube as illustrated in Fig. 7 is now ready for use in a shuttle, thehead 14 cooperating with the usual retaining fingers in the shuttle toprevent longitudinal displacement of the cop tube in said shuttle. Thetube 13 being constructed of current conducting material, adapts itselfreadily to cooperation with the electric detecting fingers to indicatewhen the cop tube 13 is empty or unwound. Cop tubes constructedaccording to my invention are light in weight, and are possessed ofconsiderable strength, and will not warp or swell under varyingconditions of moisture or dryness.

In Fig. 8 l have illustrated a. cop tube 13 formed with the grooves 19,but having a slightly modified form of head 20 which is constructedwith' alarger recess 21 than'thc recess 22 in the head 14, thusresulting in a saving of material, and requiring merely a slight changein the shape of the punch body 11. n

In Fig. 9 I have illustrated a cylindrical cop tube 23 turned down atthe end as illustrated at 24and provided with the parallelly arrangedgrooves 25. The tube 23 has a head 26, and a separate tubular member 27is 'K pressed into the headed end 'of the tube 23,v the tubular member27 also having a head 28 thereon, the two heads 26 and 28 formingtherebetween an annular groove 29 within `which the shuttle fingersywill seat. When constructed of aluminum, forcibly pressing' the tubularmember 27 into the tube `23 will unite the two tubularineinbers 23 and27 in a permanent union, it beingfr impossible t0 retract the member 27without destruction ofy the tube 23.

In Fig. 10 I have illustrated the tube 23 without the grooves 25, andhave also illustrated a ferrule or collar 30, preferably comprising twoidentical sections, as illustrated, surrounding the tubular member 27and interposed between the heads 26 and 28, being held in firm positionby the pressing of the member 2'?" into the tube 23. These two sections30 will form an annular groove 31 for the reception of the shuttlefingers, and preferably of a metal of considerably greater hardness thanthe metal of the members 23 and 27. rl`hus the shuttle ngers will nothave a deterrent eect upon the cop tube, since said lingers will engagethe hard collar 30 instead of the relatively soft metal of the tubes 23and 27 and heads 26 and 28.

In Fig. ll I have illustrated a modified type of cop tube 32 providedwith the parallelly arranged grooves 33 and turned at the end asillustrated at 34. rIhe tube 32 is provided with a thickened conicalstepped portion 35, which may be formed in the swaging die withoutdiiiiculty, the tu'oular member' 36 being pressed therein and having ahead 37 and a shoulder portion 38 adapted to bear against the head 39 ofthe tube 32, to positively determine the width of the annular groove 40formed by the heads 37 and 39. This tapered portion of the tube 32, incooperation with the electric detecting fingers, will apprise theoperator in ample time before complete unwinding of the thread on thecop tube 32, so that a new cop tube may be in readiness for replacementinstantly upon emptying of the cop tube in the shuttle.

In F ig. 12 I have illustrated a cop tube 41 turned at its outer end asat 42, and having a head 43 and a shouldered portion 44, a conicalstepped sleeve 45 being pressed over the sleeve 4l from the end 42thereof, until the head 46 of the sleeve 45 abuts against the shoulderedportion 44 of the head 43, the heads 43 and 46 thus forming an annulargroove 47 for the reception of the shuttle fingers. The tube 4l with itshead 43 and shouldered portion 44 may be extruded in the same manner asabove described.

In Fig. 13 I have illustrated a slight further modification wherein thecop tube 48 is provided with a small head 49, and a separate head 50 ofhardened steel or other metal is pressed overv the said tube, the head50 having a shouldered recess 5l in which the head 49 will seat when thecop tube is in completed which must withstand the greatest wear anddistortion, this reenforeed head 50 will result in longer life of thecop tube 48.

I believe that a cop tube produced embodying my invention, and possessedof the advantageous features above described, is novel, and I have,therefore, claimed said tubes in this case.

Vhile I have necessarily y described my present invention somewhat indetail, it will be appreciated that I may vary the size, shape andarrangement of parts, within reasonably wide limits, without departingfrom the spirit of the invention.

My invention is further described and defined in the form of claims asfollows:

l. A metallic cop comprising a seamless metallic tube and a head at on-eend of sai-d tube of greater diameter than said tube, a sleeve having apressed lit within the headed end of said tube, and a head on saidsleeve of substantially the same diameter as the head on said tube, saidheads being spaced to form an annular groove therebetween.

2. A metallic cop comprising a seamless metallic tube and a head at oneend of said tube of greater diameter than said tube, a sleeve having apressed lit within the headed end of said tube, a head on said sleeve ofsubstantially the same diameter as the head on said tube, said headsbeing spaced to form an annular groove therebetween, and a collar ofharder metal than said tube or said sleeve positioned on said sleeve andclamped between .said heads.

3. A metallic cop comprising a seamless metallic tube and a head at oneend of said ltube of greater diameter than said tube, said head having ashoulder projecting therefrom of less diameter than said hea-d, and aconical stepped sleeve having a press ton said tube and engaging saidshoulder, the said head and the end of said sleeve which engages saidshoulder deiining an annular groove therebetween.

4. A metallic cop comprisingr a seamless metallic tube having a head atone end thereof of greater diameter than sai-d tube, and a sleeveassociated with said tube and having a head of substantially the samediameter as the head on said tube, said heads being spaced to form anannular groove therebetween.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

GUSTAVE ALBERT ANDERSON.

